Happy Halloween. Or else.

Well, we'll see what we get for trick-or-treaters tonight. Because the mega churches have such awesome family events for Halloween, our house visitors have dwindled. Last year we only got three. Ah well. The light goes off at 7:30 no matter what.


Ok, some people go a little bonkers for Halloween:




And this:




And ...




Or this:




And there's a house that goes through 30 different songs to its lights. Wow. I would hate to be any of these neighbor.

And THIS is the best pet costume:



Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster

Next month he'll be able to reach it, won't that be fun?

So last night I didn't get a whole lot of reading done so I hope to do better tonight. On the way is the new Patricia Wynn, ACTS OF FAITH, featuring Gideon St. Mars, a viscount who becomes the highwayman Blue Satan, and his friend Mrs. Kean, in early 18th century England. It's been since 2011 in that series so that makes me excited and happy. And I have a hold at the library I've been waiting for, Deborah Crombie's newest, TO DWELL IN DARKNESS.

We were shopping earlier today and I got inspired by artichokes. I haven't had them in long time. Rather than the usual cooking in water, I found a recipe on Foodnetwork.com that adds more flavor so we'll see how it goes. And if Steve will eat any.

Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster

I prefer bubblewrap

Nothing on TV for me tonight so I will continue reading CJ Sansom's LAMENTATION. No, I haven't finished it yet. Sheesh.

Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster

What the boys probably do while we're gone

IT'S HERE!! IT'S HERE!! Woot a woot a woot!  LAMENTATION by C J Sansom. This is 6th of 6 in series featuring Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer in mid-16th century England. Here's a description:

Summer, 1546.
King Henry VIII is slowly, painfully dying. His Protestant and Catholic councillors are engaged in a final and decisive power struggle; whoever wins will control the government of Henry's successor, eight-year-old Prince Edward. As heretics are hunted across London, and the radical Protestant Anne Askew is burned at the stake, the Catholic party focus their attack on Henry's sixth wife, Matthew Shardlake's old mentor, Queen Catherine Parr. Shardlake, still haunted by events aboard the warship Mary Rose the year before, is working on the Cotterstoke Will case, a savage dispute between rival siblings. Then, unexpectedly, he is summoned to Whitehall Palace and asked for help by his old patron, the now beleaguered and desperate Queen. For Catherine Parr has a secret. She has written a confessional book, Lamentation of a Sinner, so radically Protestant that if it came to the King's attention it could bring both her and her sympathizers crashing down. But, although the book was kept secret and hidden inside a locked chest in the Queen's private chamber, it has - inexplicably - vanished. Only one page has been found, clutched in the hand of a murdered London printer. Shardlake's investigations take him on a trail that begins among the backstreet printshops of London but leads him and Jack Barak into the dark and labyrinthine world of the politics of the royal court; a world he had sworn never to enter again. Loyalty to the Queen will drive him into a swirl of intrigue inside Whitehall Palace, where Catholic enemies and Protestant friends can be equally dangerous, and the political opportunists, who will follow the wind wherever it blows, more dangerous than either. The theft of Queen Catherine's book proves to be connected to the terrible death of Anne Askew, while his involvement with the Cotterstoke litigants threatens to bring Shardlake himself to the stake.

Published (UK) in 2014, it has 650 pages. This is the series that all other historical mysteries measure themselves against. It's. that. good. Plus it's been FOUR YEARS since he last wrote one for this series.It comes out in the US in February.  I'm so excited.

Tonight, otherwise, I have Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to watch. Obligatory Director Coulson photo...

And in this episode, Fitz confronts Simmons about his damage and her leaving. The sneak preview looks very good.




I did start the Lovett book last night and it has captured my attention so I'll be back to it after the Sansom book.

A friend of ours, Josh stopped by the shop today. He used to work for me at Software Etc., and has since gone to West Point, met and married his wife and started a family. Triplets. Five years old. Lots of energy. Two boys and a girl. And his wife is really super nice so it was a nice visit.

Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster

No! No! No! I don't WANT Monday!

I will be starting FIRST IMPRESSIONS by Charlie Lovett. This is a stand alone novel. Here's a description;

Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition of Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield. Their queries draw Sophie into a mystery that will cast doubt on the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice—and ultimately threaten Sophie’s life. In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie’s quest to uncover the truth—while choosing between two suitors—and a young Jane Austen’s touching friendship with the aging cleric Richard Mansfield, Lovett weaves a romantic, suspenseful, and utterly compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books. 

Published in 2014, it has 323 pages. I really enjoyed his THE BOOKMAN'S TALE last year so I'm giving this a try. This is a loan from the library. 

Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster 

Is THAT the weekend?

TGIF!  I woke up this morning wishing it was Saturday so I could sleep some more. And this afternoon it was nice and dark -- completely wasted at work and not napping. Bah.

We had dinner last night at a Mexican restaurant called Rio Sabinas with Steve's brother and his family and Steve' mom. The place has great atmosphere and the food was very good. Definitely the top of the list for future Mexican food for us.

This weekend -- no plans other than the usual chores. Now that I'm feeling better I can get the stuff I didn't do the last couple weekends done.

Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster

Oh hi!

The Blue Man Group show last night was the BEST SHOW I'VE EVER SEEN. Bar none. Just freakin' amazing. Here's a video I found on Youtube to show what it was like:




I would do it again in a heartbeat. I want to be on the tour with this show. I want to live in their theater in Las Vegas.

Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster